ABOUT us







OUR MISSION
#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence calls on teens to confront gun violence by creating new works of theatre that will spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country. Our mission is to promote playwriting as a tool for self-expression and social change, harnessing this generation's spirit of activism and providing a platform for America's playwrights of tomorrow to discover and develop their voices today.

#ENOUGH IS ABOUT
YOUTH ENGAGEMENT
#ENOUGH IS ABOUT
YOUTH-LED CREATIVITY
AND, ABOVE ALL, #ENOUGH IS ABOUT
YOUTH-DRIVEN ACTION
OUR STORY
I launched #ENOUGH in 2019 shortly after the consecutive mass shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH. By then I had already witnessed a powerful youth movement emerge shortly after the senseless shooting in Parkland, FL the year prior. March for Our Lives, Students Demand Action and other activist groups were organized, passionate, and rightfully angry. Young people took to the streets (and continue to do so) to manifest the change they wanted to see in the world while policymakers continuously failed to rise to the challenge.
I was inspired. The purpose of #ENOUGH became clear: lend our stages to amplify this growing voice so that it continues to be heard.
I founded #ENOUGH on the belief that young people can become powerful activists through the art they create. This year's participants believe that as well. Just listen to Demian, a 12th grader from El Paso on why he submitted a play to #ENOUGH:
“I’m an El Pasoan. I know firsthand about the ways an act of gun violence can ripple through a community. I am also a theatremaker, and I saw #ENOUGH as my opportunity to use my art to help convey to others a glimpse of what gun violence can do to not only a community at large, but also an individual.”
This generation has proven themselves to be the generation of empathy, justice, and equity - everything the theatre celebrates. Their voice and perspective are what we desperately need to be listening to, both in society and in the theatre. That's why #ENOUGH exists and that is our mission.
- Michael Cotey, #ENOUGH founder and producer
FOLLOW US
MEET THE TEAM
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
CLICK ON IMAGES FOR BIOS
2020 #ENOUGH SELECTION
COMMITTEE AKA TEAM AWESOME
Once the Call for Submission period has ended, a group of theatre professionals will read all of the plays submitted and name a group of 20 finalists. Those 20 plays will be read by the #ENOUGH Selection Committee, a group of award-winning and nationally recognized playwrights.
They will then select the winning plays to be read in #ENOUGH Nationwide Reading and give personal feedback to the young authors of those plays.
Get to know the sheer awesomeness of the #ENOUGH Selection Committee by clicking on their image for their full bio!
Explore this year's collection of plays that reveal the many dimensions of gun violence in America and the young playwrights who wrote them.
Fall 2021
Students in grades 6-12 write short plays on the topic of gun violence.
Spring 2022
#ENOUGH plays are read in simultaneous readings across the country.